Low resistance golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf club head is fixed to one end of a golf club shaft. The head provides a face, a toe, a sole and a neck. A plurality of slots are spaced apart with each of the slots extending from the sole upwardly medially within the head. The slots are in generally parallel correspondence and are uniformly spaced and are uniform in width, where the uniform slot width exceeds the uniform slot spacing. The slots have flat side walls and terminate with a circular surface, so that they present the least resistance to the ground surface and are the easiest to clean of captured debris.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of a prior filed and currently pending design application having Ser. No. 29/175,197 and file date of Jan. 30, 2003.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0002] Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference, any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents and printed matter cited or referred to in this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates generally to golf clubs and more particularly to a sand wedge club with open slots so as to present less resistance to the sand during a stroke.

[0005] 2. Description of Related Art

[0006] The following art defines the present state of this field:

[0007] Pritchett, U.S. Des. 419,213 describes golf club head with slot design.

[0008] Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,426 describes an improved golf club head and set of clubs using progressively sized heads. The club head, of the sort generally referred to as “irons” has the usual striking and opposed back faces, an upper edge, a sole, a heel adjacent to the hosel and a toe opposite the heel. A slot of selected depth is provided across the back, extending diagonally from the upper heel area to the lower toe portion, so as to provide a thin central region and two thicker regions at the intersection of toe and upper edge and at the intersection of heel and sole. The resulting head has a diagonal balance along a line extending along the major axis of the normal elliptical pattern of ball impacts against the striking face, which results in a larger and more desirably oriented “sweet spot”. The clubs in a set of irons may have progressive top edge thicknesses so that all top edges appear to have the same width in use, progressively increasing sole width from long to short irons to provide optimum ground friction characteristics and progressively increasing heel to toe lengths going from short to long irons. The hosel typically has an airfoil shaped cross section with the sharp trailing edge extending perpendicular to the intended direction of ball flight.

[0009] Gallagher, U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,486 describes an innovative golf club head that beneficially dampens the transmission of shock and vibration from the front hitting face to the hosel and associated shaft, and is more tolerant of inadvertent mis-hits of the golf ball. The golf club head includes a front hitting face is isolated to some degree from the hosel by a heel-side face aperture located in the front hitting face near the heel between the front hitting face and the hosel. The heel-side face aperture preferably extends through the golf head from the front hitting face to the back face. The invention may reside in blade-type club or in a cavity-back club having a cavity in its back face that defines a perimeter weighted golf club head. In the latter case, the heel-side face aperture may be provided as a slot which connects the front hitting face to the central cavity in the back face. The innovative golf club head may also have a toe slot which connects a toe of the golf club head to the central cavity and “floats” the front hitting face relative to the heel and toe of the club. If desired, the front hitting face may be floated relative to the top rail and sole, as well, such that it forms an “island.” In all of the above embodiments, a vibration-dampening material is preferably placed within a fill void consisting of the heel-side face aperture, the central cavity, and the toe slot (as present).

[0010] Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,042 describes a wooden golf club head having an air flow guiding slot structure which comprises an upper guiding port, a lower guiding port, and a continuous wall connecting the upper guiding port and the lower guiding port. The continuous wall is provided with an opening. The upper guiding port is located in a top curved surface of an arcuate side of the head and is provided with a notch. The lower guiding port is located in a bottom inclined surface of the arcuate side of the head. The upper guiding port, the lower guiding port, the opening, and the continuous wall form together an air flow channel for balancing the air flow pressures of the top curved surface and the bottom inclined surface of the head.

[0011] The prior art teaches wood and metal golf clubs of a great variety of sizes and shapes, but does not teach a slotted golf head enabled for reducing the interaction between the head and the ground. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

[0013] A golf club head is fixed to one end of a golf club shaft. The head provides a face, a toe, a sole and a neck. A plurality of slots are spaced apart with each of the slots extending from the sole upwardly medially within the head and from the face rearwardly to clear the back of the head. The slots are in generally parallel correspondence and are uniformly spaced and are uniform in width as well, where the uniform slot width exceeds the uniform slot spacing.

[0014] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method of use of such apparatus that provides advantages not taught by the prior art.

[0015] Another objective is to provide such an invention capable of being used as a sand wedge or with grass and presenting less interference with the ground during a stroke.

[0016] A further objective is to provide such an invention capable of hitting a golf ball straight and true.

[0017] A still further objective is to provide such an invention capable of providing greater club speed due to less air resistance.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

[0020]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention as used in the sport of Golf;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing details of a head thereof; and

[0022]FIG. 3 is a section view thereof taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention in at least one of its preferred embodiments, which is further defined in detail in the following description.

[0024] The present invention is a golf club apparatus comprising a shaft 10 and a head 20. The head 20 is fixed to one end of the shaft 10 as is well known in the construction of golf clubs. Likewise, the head provides, a face 22, a toe 24, a sole 26 and a neck 28, in a manner that is also well known in the construction and conformation of golf clubs. The present head 20 differs from the standard wood or iron golf club head in that it provides a plurality of slots 30 that are in spaced-apart correspondence, wherein each of the slots 30 extends from the sole upwardly within the head 30. Preferably, the slots 30 are in generally parallel correspondence and extend medially into the head 20 as shown, and further, extend in straight fashion from the club face 22 to the back of the head 20. Preferably, also, the slots 30 are uniformly spaced and are uniform in width, with the width shown by numeral 32 in the FIG. 3. Preferably, the uniform slot width 32 exceeds the uniform slot spacing defined by numeral 34 shown in FIG. 3. The shaft 10 may, or may not, be considered as a part of the invention, although the head 20 cannot be used without a shaft 10, as shown in FIG. 1. Although the slots 30 are shown in a particular conformation in the figures, these slots 30 may be of alternative shape, size and spacing and yet meet the objectives of the invention.

[0025] The present invention is most useful when attempting to drive a golf ball 5 out of a sand trap. See FIG. 1. As the head 20 moves through the sand, the sand presents less resistance to the motion of the head because some of the involved sand moves through the slots 30 causing little resistance to the motion of the head and, likewise, the head 20 is deflected less than if the slots 30 were not present. In tests, it is found that when the slots 30 are terminated medially in the head, as best seen in FIG. 2, the slots 30 have little or no influence on the direction or course of the golf ball that is struck by the head 20. Preferably, the slots 30 have flat side walls 31 and terminate with a circular surface 33, as this embodiment has been shown to present the least resistance to the ground surface and are the easiest to clean of captured debris.

[0026] The above description defines the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, but it is noted that the slots 30 may be alternatively placed within the head 20. For instance, the slots may be fully encompassed within the head 20 as radial openings extending outwardly from a solid portion of the face, wherein the slots 30 extend fully from the face through the back of the club head 20. Alternately, the slots 30 may be round or non-round holes extending from the face to the back of the club head 20. Alternately, the slots 30 may be placed in horizontal orientation one above the next in contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 where the slots 30 are in a vertical orientation. Clearly, the slots 30 may be formed to break out to the top, side or bottom of the club head 20, or may be fully enclosed by the head 20. The objective of this invention is met by slots that start at, and are open to the club face 22 and extend to, and are also open to the back of the club 22′ so that air resistance to movement of the club is reduced and so that resistance to the club moving through sand or other surface material is reduced.

[0027] While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s) believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf club apparatus comprising: a shaft and a head, the head fixed to one end of the shaft; the head providing a face, a toe, a sole and a neck; a plurality of slots in spaced apart correspondence; each of the slots extending from the face rearwardly within the head to the back of the club, said slots being open to the face and the back of the club.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slots are in generally parallel correspondence.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slots extend from the sole medially into the head.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slots are uniformly spaced with uniform width.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the uniform slot width exceeds the slot spacing.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the slots have flat side walls.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the slots each terminate with a circular surface.
 8. A golf club apparatus comprising: a head having a face, a toe, a sole and a neck; a plurality of slots in spaced apart correspondence; each of the slots extending from the sole upwardly within the head.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the slots are in generally parallel correspondence.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the slots extend medially into the head.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the slots are uniformly spaced and uniform in width.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the uniform slot width exceeds the slot spacing.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a shaft fixed at one end thereof to the neck of the head.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the slots have flat side walls.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the slots each terminate with a circular surface. 